updated with build photos below!

OK folks, time for another watch-building thread!

This time, instead of building another Seiko SKX007 clone, I'm building a Seiko Turtle homage to the $2500 Doxa SUB 1500T Divingstar.



The end product should look like this:



Parts are ordered today from Namokimods, Crystal Times, and The Yobokies (which is Seiko Boy spelled backwards ).  Should arrive by week's end.  I'll photograph the parts layout and do a step-by-step of the build.

In the meantime, some reading pleasure on watch modding and building:

HOW TO MODIFY YOUR SEIKO WATCH - DIAL AND HANDS

Watch Modding Tips, Tricks & Resources

Something looks off with that crystal on the example; like it's crying for some kind of additional bezel.

Just the vertical edge poking above the existing bezel rubs me the wrong way.  Looks unfinished.

But, that being said, I look forward to seeing the progress!

It's a top hat crystal, a vintage look in which the crystal protrudes 2-3mm above the bezel.  But yeah, it's an acquired taste.

Seiko crystal mods can include a flat crystal, a domed crystal, or a top hat crystal.  The domed crystals can be double-domed (i.e., the bottom of the crystal has a dome matching the top) so there is no distortion when looking at it thru the side, or single-domed (i.e., the bottom is flat) for a slight magnification effect.

Top hat crystal from another angle:

Thanks for that explanation. Obviously not to my taste, but there’s no argument it’s a cool homage.

Personally, I like flush crystals, either flat or with a slight dome (I.e. no major magnification).

I like a single dome with magnification simply because I have presbyopia which makes it hard to see and focus on small stuff.

Maybe IF our favorite guns get banned, I'll build Watches instead....I want a cool ones like James Bond had in the Movies.  

if you like building things with your hands, building Seiko-clone watches is one helluva deep rabbit hole to go down.

Thats going to be awesome! Did you already have all the watch making tools or are you going to freehand it?

I have some basic tools from a cheap amazon kit. They work ok.

Who are you kidding FP1201? we both got fat fingers....Maybe modding wall clocks?

I want to mod one of those kitty clocks with bloodshot Marty Feldman eyes!

Vostok Amphibias have a domed crystal like that, made of plexiglas plastic.  Scratches buff out quickly with polywatch paste and a cloth, but they are FREQUENT and if it were mineral glass or sapphire I'd have broken a few by now.

For that reason I prefer glass or sapphire crystals to be set a bit below the bezel so that the metal takes glancing blows, wall scrapes, etc. instead of the crystal.

Sneak preview!  Complete build pics later this week.

Love it. Top hat crystals are awesome.

@spartacus2002

Ok - it has been two weeks - can you give us some more pics and details of your watch build?

I am about ready to take the dive into the rabbit hole.

I have a cheap bertucci watch - instead of spending 20+ bucks mailing it off for a new battery - popped the back cover off - took out the plastic guard - got the battery - when to my local grocery store and snagged two batteries for six bucks - put it all back together and have my bang around on the weekend watch back up and running.  Spent the savings on a new nato strap.

Red

OK, sorry this took a while, but wife had spinal fusion surgery, kids had finals, etc.

So, here is the photo odyssey of building the watch.

First, the parts.  These are all aftermarket parts purchased from various shops.  Build lists for various watches.  This watch is a  Seiko Turtle parts built into an homage to the Doxa 1500T.

From top left to right, by row:

-Crown from Namokimods.com
-Stem from Namokimods.com
-Turtle case from usa.crystaltimes.net
-clear caseback from usa.crystaltimes.net (IIRC)

-Doxa hands from theyobokies.com (that's Seiko Boy spelled backwards)
-Doxa dial from theyobokies.com
-silver chapter ring (fits into case under the crystal) from usa.crystaltimes.net
-movement from Namokimods.com. Regulated for accuracy.

-Doxa bezel with integrated bezel ring from theyobokies.com
-gasket kit (crystal gasket, caseback gasket, bezel gasket, bezel click ring) from Namokimods.com
-top hat sapphire crystal from usa.crystaltimes.net
-Beads of rice bracelet for Turtle case from theyobokies.com




Cheapo tool kit from Amazon.com



I wear thin rubber gloves to protect the crystal and other parts from skin oil or other contamination.


So we start with the Turtle case, which as you'll see in later pics has a 4:00 crown:



This is the chapter ring, it will install into the case beneath where the crystal will go.  It surrounds the dial face.  A chapter ring that is the same color as the dial makes the dial look bigger.  In this pic, you're looking at the backside of the chapter ring where it has a tiny nipple.  That nipple fits into the hole in the face of the case in this picture, to keep the chapter ring from spinning. It doesn't really matter on a silver chapter ring like this, but on a chapter ring with tick marks the nipple keeps the chapter from spinning and thus misaligning:



This is our crystal, a vintage-style crystal called a "top hat" because of how it extends beyond the bezel then flattens out.  



As you can see, it's quite thick:



We place the plastic crystal gasket above the chapter ring, then  place the crystal into place:



Then we press it using a small press, using various plastic press faces to hold the back of the case steady and to press evenly around the crystal.  This works best if the caseback is installed into the back of the case so it doesn't move around.



Now the crystal is installed.

Next comes the bezel.  



First we install a metal bezel click spring that is unidirectional, i.e. the bezel only rotates in one direction.  This goes onto the front of the case with the two 90^o prongs inserted into two holes in the case front.



Then we put the bezel onto the front of the case around the crystal and press it on until it clicks onto the case.



Bezel installed:

Now to work on the movement, dial, and hands.  This is a Seiko NH36A movement with date and day.  NH36A is the aftermarket name for Seiko's 4r36 movement.  It can be hand-wound, and if the crown/stem is pulled out to adjust the time then the second hand stops (this is referred to as "hacking.")  The older Seiko 7s26 movements in the Seiko SKX007 watches do not allow hand-winding or hacking.  

Amusingly, these movements are made for watches with the crown/stem at 3:00 position, and if you use this movement in a watch with a day window but with a 4:00 crown then you must replace the day wheel with a 4:00 wheel. Not difficult to do, Namokimods sells 4:00 wheels.

If you really want to get creative, you can replace the day and date wheels with white numbers/letters on black background.



Installing the dial is simple. There are two prongs that stick off the backside, you insert them into the two holes on the front of the movement, and you're done.  Make sure you've ordered the correct dial for the case you intend to use, i.e. use a 4:00 dial in a 4:00 case (crown is at 4:00 position) or else your date window won't align.  Some dials come with prongs for 3:00 and 4:00 cases, and you clip off the prongs you don't need.



Here are our hands, they are homages to the hands on the Doxa Sub 300, 1200, 1500, etc. watches.  They have lume on them; not nearly as bright as a Seiko (I think my Seiko Samurai hands can be seen from low earth orbit) but bright enough to see easily if your eyes are dark adjusted.




First, I install the hour hand by installing the stem that came with the movement, then turning it until the date flips.  That tells me the hour and minutes are at 12:00am.

Installing the hands can be done with an expensive machine, or can be done by hand with simple tools.  I use Rodico putty to hold the hand, then the correct-size tool to press them down onto the silver cylinders for the hour and minute hands.   Tools have different-sized holes in their ends.  The hour tool must fit over the hour cylinder and the minute cylinder within it.

Placing the hour hand over the hour hand cylinder.  Note that the movement is held in a heavy brass holder so I don't have to use a third hand to hold the movement:



Once it is there, I press downward gently to press-fit it onto the hour hand cylinder:







Voila! Our hour hand is installed.



Now I move the hour hand to 3:00 and install the minute hand pointing at 12:00.  The minute hand fits onto a thinner, taller cylinder protruding from within the hour hand cylinder.



Now I spin them around slowly, looking at them from the side to make sure the hands clear each other as the movement turns.  All good!  



Finally, the second hand.  This installs somewhat differently because the second hand fits onto a rounded "spike" that protrudes from within the minute hand cylinder.  So instead of press-fitting onto a cylinder, it is a cap that fits onto the spike.  Make sure to use the hand-installation tool that only has a shallow depression in the tip; if you use the wrong end, one with a larger hole, you'll squish the ends of your second hand! BTDT.





Again, once installed, I will turn the stem to make the hands rotate to make sure they all have clearance.

Now, I will install the movement.  It fits in through the back of the watch.  I will carefully push it into the case while observing from the front of the case towards me, so I can make sure the dial is properly aligned to the case.  Make sure you don't put it in 180 degrees off! BTDT!



Once the movement is in, you'll want to install the stem into the crown and then cut the stem to fit the movement.  This is time consuming.  Sorry, no pics.

Once you've installed the movement and the crown and stem, you'll put the caseback gasket onto the case.  The Seiko dive watches are water resistant to certain depths, thanks to the use of gaskets.  As we previously saw, the crystal has a gasket surrounding it.  The case back has a gasket between the caseback and case, and the Turtle caseback has its own gasket.  Even the crown has a gasket.

Here is the caseback gasket.  Best to use a tiny coating of silicon lube on it.



Next we will install the caseback, first by hand to make sure it isn't crossthreaded, then tightened down with this caseback tool.



Our see-thru caseback, so we can observe the movement and the rotor.



Voila!

Finally, we install and adjust the bracelet.  This is the iconic Beads Of Rice bracelet Doxa used in the 1960s/70s.  This reproduction from TheYobokies is VERY nice.



First we remove the spring bars that came with the case.  This case's lugs has holes drilled to make it VERY easy to remove bracelet spring bars; instead of sticking a tiny fork in between the end link and the case, you just stick a tiny metal punch into the drilled lug.  Easy peasy.



And we insert them into the end links of the bracelet.



Then we pop them into the case.  



The completed watch.



Unfortunately, we'll have to adjust the bracelet down for my 7.5" wrist.



But that's easy.  This bracelet has easily-removable pins between the links.  The pins go in one direction, indicated by the arrows on the links.  The links can be removed and reconnected using a small jeweler's hammer, the proper size metal punch, and a special block to hold the bracelet with holes for the pins to go out thru.







Once we've removed the unneeded links, we line up the links, and reinsert our pins.



Bracelet adjustment is finished.



The top hat crystal has no magnification, but it does have a distortion effect at the edges to make the dial look larger, and you cannot see the silver chapter ring around the dial.  



Compare and contrast with the flat crystal I installed in this watch today.  You can see the silver chapter ring, and the dial looks smaller.




So, that concludes this amateur photo odyssey.  Hopefully this was fun and informative.

@badredfish

photos up!

@spartacus2002

First of all - no need to apologize for anything!  We are all friends here!  I love this place.

You have some awesome skills - My oldest boy will be graduating from UNF this fall with a chemistry degree - Would love to give him a Rolex Milgauss  - but being a single parent raising two boys since they were three and five - that is not in the cards....

If you are up for a project - maybe we (I have two left thumbs) can build him a sweet watch that will last him a long time with a cool lighting bolt second hand.

Thank you for posting that up...lord knows  we are not making weekly trips to the range these days....needed a new hobby!

Red

Red,

go to Namokimods.com and look at their Rolex Sub cases.  People are building Sub homages, total parts cost is under $600.  Go to these sites below and look at dials and hands.  If you want me to help you pick out parts, I'm happy to assemble the parts at no charge.  Gives me something to do with my hands.

https://www.namokimods.com

https://ajuicet.com

https://komoworks.com

https://www.dagazwatch.com/apps/webstore/

https://www.theyobokies.com

https://usa.crystaltimes.net/

https://www.longislandwatch.com/Watch_Mod_Parts_s/1997.htm

https://one-second-closer.com/shop/category/seiko-skx-007-7s26-0020/

https://watch-modz.com/

https://www.dlwwatches.com/collections/hands/products/hands-mm

https://lcbistore.com/

https://luciusatelier.com/collections/seiko-skx007-srpd-mod-parts

https://modmodewatches.com

Very nice!

Seiko mods are great fun and easily done. I like the domed crystal.. very vintage.

here's a one of mine from years ago.. Slim case 6309, bead blasted case... obviously aftermarket dial and hands

Attached File

That is awesome.  Nicely done w/the tutorial.

So I swapped the movement out with a movement that has the same hands, but orange face.  I think I like the yellow better.

Very nice!  I've done just about all of those operations except for fitting a stem.

I ended up sticking the orange-faced movement into a sandblasted SKX007 case with orange DOXA-copy bezel and kept the yellow-dial movement in this Turtle. The orange dial watch is now my yard work watch.



In the Turtle, I will likely go back to the Top Hat crystal.

The stem is tricky. Each time you trim it, trim off less than you need to. Buy extra stems in case you go too short.

Next project might be a Submariner clone with blue M-gauss face and orange hands…

Bravo!

Need more ETA dial / hand options as I want to mod a Gen 1 squale 1545.

Great thread.  I have been wanting to build watches for a long time.  Are there any books or resources that I can read to get started?

Start here https://usa.crystaltimes.net/noob-centre/ and download this pdf How to mod the SKX.

Modding the Turtle is mostly the same steps. But you have to make sure you are using Turtle parts, like I did in this thread.

Check out the SKX cases at Namokimods.com, they have SKX cases shaped like the Marine Master, 62MAS, Rolex Submariner, etc that use SKX parts.  There are about a million different ways to build your own SKX or Turtle.

Cool project, excellent work!

Many moons ago there was a deal on eco drive 200m watches with either an orange or yellow face.  I got the orange in homage to the Doxa but I always wished I bought the yellow one.

Thanks.

I have a book on watch making and have been looking into it for a few years.  I just ordered a lathe with this in mind.

here are links to places that sell Seiko modding parts.  Parts are usually for SKX unless otherwise specified.  However, the Seiko and Turtle both use the same movement, thus the movement, dial, and hands are universal between the two.

https://www.namokimods.com

https://ajuicet.com

https://komoworks.com

https://www.dagazwatch.com/apps/webstore/

https://www.theyobokies.com

https://usa.crystaltimes.net/

https://www.longislandwatch.com/Watch_Mod_Parts_s/1997.htm

https://one-second-closer.com/shop/category/seiko-skx-007-7s26-0020/

https://watch-modz.com/

https://www.dlwwatches.com/

https://lcbistore.com/

https://luciusatelier.com/collections/seiko-skx007-srpd-mod-parts

https://modmodewatches.com

I saw this pop up on WatchRecon earlier and thought about this thread. From the description, it looks to be almost completely aftermarket. It would be hard to spend that much on someone else's project watch, but IMO it came out great.

No relationship to the seller, blah blah blah.

https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/for-sale-seikomods-gun-metal-mm300-build.5320610/

that's a great-looking watch.  Great example of a custom-built watch.  Could probably build that from parts for under $500, especially with a rubber strap instead of metal.

Even with the MM front loading case? I've never seen that case for sale on the aftermarket.

SKX007 to MM Conversion Case  However, read all the fine print, it's a bit more advanced job than a Turtle or SKX build.

Nice, thanks!

as an alternative, Namoki sells an SKX case that is shaped like a Marine Master case but takes all SKX parts and assembles just like an SKX.  

MM300 SKX007/SRPD Watch Case

Always read the fine print on builds to see which straps and bracelets it will take.  For example, that Namoki Marine Master case takes all SKX parts but not the SKX bracelet (takes MM bracelet).

would you consider a commission build?

I might but I'd have to look into whether it's a hobby or a business so I don't run afoul of the IRS.

video of building that MM case from CrystalTimes

so I went down the MM rabbit hole a little bit.  This guy's watch is rare because of the gunmetal finish.  The only two places I know of selling MM conversion cases have black cases and polished & brushed cases.  

an SKX-to-MM conversion could be built for around $430 or less (minus strap/bracelet) depending on the dial chosen.  But with that rare gunmetal finish case and bezel, and the fact that it's already built, that's a reasonable price.

That yellow complements the bezel nicely, I may try my hand at building my own frankenseiko after my ISL-07 gets here.

There are tons of helpful videos on YouTube, especially the ones from Long Island Watch and Lume Shot